The City Life
by A Heart For My Nobody
Summary: Change can be tough. For Roxas, change is getting a new home, new friends, and a new life. To cope, it's best to find something that interests you, but what if that interest comes with some changes of it's own? Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora. BL, Crossdressing!
1. Chapter One: City Calls

**Summary:** It seems that leaving the old behind for the new is becoming a regular thing. After Roxas is forced to move out of the suburbs and into the city, forgetting about that first story house is the least of his transitions. The people of the city seem to be quite interesting, and none of them catch Roxas' interest more than Axel, a teacher at Radiant Garden Private School, but what kinds of changes will he have to make to pursue this interest...

**Pairings:** Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora, and maybe more...

**Contents:** Some strong language, boy love, alcohol, cross-dressing and all those fun things!

* * *

**Chapter One: City Calls**

My life was that of a typical teenage boy. I was born into a family struggling to pay the bills in a ditch effort to cling on to the middle class. My house was in suburban territory. Y'know, comfortable but boring as hell. I got through school. Barely at least. My grades were not phenomenal, but I passed. I didn't stick out too much so I wasn't too popular, but I also avoided being overly bullied. I did have my friends, and although everything was pretty much normal, it was all comfortable and... nice.

THEN, my father got his promotion. He was a local cop; he was well liked, liked his job, and did it well. Not like there was too much to do up there. Something about him must've caught the eye of someone up north one day, because before I knew it, I was being told to pack my bags. That's right... we were moving. Well, long story short, good-old-dad wouldn't take no for an answer, so I got pulled up by my roots out of my three hundred student school, my B average, and the safety of my settled position among my friends in the school hierarchy.

This is where I start my story, pouting like an overruled teen does in the passenger seat of a car heading in exactly the direction I do not want to go.

"Do we really have to go, dad?" I say with an exasperated sigh.

"Wow, are you really trying to ask me that every two miles, or is that just coincidence?" Is his response.

"A _city job_, dad?" I say, ignoring his question, "Do you _know_ what city cops have to go through?"

"Yeah, they make more money," he laughs annoyingly, "Plus, I'm gonna be a lieutenant!" Man, I hate it when people laugh when I'm pissed.

"Do you _watch_ the news, dad? The city's full of crime. You'll be shot in a gunfight in no time!"

"They pull that stuff out of their butts just so they can get people to watch." he snickers, sure of himself, "I'll be fine, son. It's a great opportunity!"

I exaggerate another sigh incase he hadn't heard the first one. Unfortunately, unless I can manage to sigh hard enough to blow us back home, we're city bound as we pass under the welcoming sign and buildings fill the sky in front of us. Goodbye comfortable suburbia.

The police force had actually assisted in getting my dad and I an apartment in the city before we even got there. The place really isn't half bad, but as I walk in with a pissed off attitude, it looks like hell to me. I throw my coat on the floor and it falls in a checkered mass by my dad's feet. I had left all the bags for him to carry, just because I feel like punishing him. I flop down into a chair at a table a little ways into the place. The sound of an exhausted man dropping the bags down in a corner is followed by the words:

"Come on. It isn't all that bad, huh Roxas?" Oh yeah... that's my name.

"Hell yeah, it's that bad!" I snap with all the fury built by hours of riding in a car, "I'm like, hundreds of miles away from all the friends I'll never see again, in a fucking upscale apartment. How the hell do you plan to pay for this anyway?" I stand up and pace to further illustrate my words. "What the hell floor are we on anyway? I think I'm vertically further off the ground then I could've been from my friends at any time back home. At least this way the fall will kill me!" I slump back into the chair with a huff and my dad shakes his head with a sigh.

"You'll get used to it, Roxas, and you'll make friends at your new school too." I scoff at his words as he picks up my coat and hangs it by the door. "I'll give you two weeks to get used to the new environment before I put you in school as well. Fair enough?"

"Pfft..." It's my pissed agreement noise. I'm still mad, but two weeks isn't a bad deal. Knowing dad, that's probably the longest he can spare before the truancy officers get on our case, so I won't bother haggling for more time. He really _is_ making an effort to make this easier for me. He better be after dragging me this far.

* * *

I decide to take my dad up on his offer for me to 'get used to my new environment', and leave the apartment for a tour of the city. My dad gave me some money for a taxi in case I get lost, along with both the phone number and address of our new place. He's a little paranoid sometimes, seriously. I walk a block or two, doing my best to ignore the height of the buildings, and eventually happen upon a park with a number of people. Crossing the street almost kills me. City people really don't drive well, do they?

The point of me being in this park, if anything, is not to familiarize myself with the city, but to find some good, safe, school-going friends to cling to during my remaining years. Most of the people around are either really old, in a stroller, or the one pushing the stroller. This isn't really what I'm looking for. But wait. On a bench just across the lawn, there's a boy about my age, apparently having an angry stare-down with a pigeon. His hair's messy, his pants are just a bit too short to be pants, but too long to be shorts, and his shoes look about two sizes too big. Despite this, he's kind of an attractive guy, which is weird with someone who has these qualities. He looks nerdy but kinda cool at the same time... and heck, he can pull off having a stare-down with a frickin' bird without looking like a fool. He'll do.

After my assessment, I stroll up and drop myself down in the seat next to the kid. The pigeon takes notice of me, seems to make some kind of rude gesture, and bobs its way off to a different bench to the right.

"Bird watching?" I joke. Always start with a joke.

"Naw." The boy responds without looking at me as though I had been there beside him the whole time. He leans back and flips his arms up behind his head to continue talking. "I was complaining about all the old people in the park, but then he started arguing that he liked the old people. Said they feed him. They just remind me of getting old, but he took offense when I told him." He finishes off with a shrug and looks to me for the first time. Brown hair and blue eyes, huh? What the hell is he talking about, anyway? Did he start with a joke too?

"I guess pigeons don't have to worry about getting old." I say, humoring him, "They just have to avoid angry busses, bratty kids and hungry cats."

"I guess." He considers, "I hate bratty kids."

"Name's Roxas." That's always a cool way to introduce yourself, right?

"Sky." He says promptly, "In Japanese."

"What?" ...What?

"My name means sky in Japanese." He twinkles. Why the hell does he know that? He doesn't look Japanese, anyway... now... let me think... sky in Japanese.

"Asuka?" I blurt out, epically missing the gender of the name. That's a nice slip.

"Close. It's Sora." How is that close? Besides... doesn't that mean to fly or something?

"Cool." I suppose, but I still don't know why this kid has a Japanese name, "Hey. You mind if I hang out for a bit?"

"Sure. Why don't you come get some grub with me?"

* * *

"So you're new to the city, huh?" Sora walks in an amusing way as he's talking to me: hands linked behind his head and feat clunking around in his oversized shoes.

"Relatively." It's been about an hour, right? "I just wanted to hang out a bit, learn some stuff, maybe get a tour..." I might be ahead of myself. This kids probably got things to do.

"Sure. I dropped my homework on the way to the park, so I have some free time." Or maybe he doesn't have things to do.

"We could backtrack and look for it if you want. I wouldn't mind learning my way to school."

"I dropped it," he repeats, and then gives me a rather serious stare, "off a bridge... into the water."

"Oh." I eye him for a minute, just a little freaked, I'm not gonna lie.

"I half considered cement shoes, but I haven't met homework that could swim since that Custer paper in fifth grade." I guess he's not the type of friend to copy homework from.

I follow the clomping of Sora's bigfoot shoes down a few streets, over a bridge (on which he stops for a moment to apparently make sure his homework didn't cling to the side), across an area with a lot of stores, and finally into a Chinese food restaurant. I can't tell whether the place is shabby, or just made to look shabby. Everything about it feels like stepping into some old shanghai samurai town from one of those lame subtitled films my dad used to rent. Some cute Japanese girl comes to take our order. I wonder what her name is? I guess they're not required to wear name-tags on their kimonos. It figures that she asks me what I'd like to eat first. Don't these people give you time to look at the menu? Sheesh...

"I'll get whatever he's having." I say coolly, but doesn't the frickin' kid go on to order lobster. The waitress has our menus and is gone before I can say anything. Since I doubt this kid is paying for my lunch, I'm screwed as far as money goes. I guess I'll have to make sure I find my way back home, cuz I sure in hell won't have enough for a taxi after this. Who orders lobster in a Chinese food place anyway? Well... I guess I haven't been in too many since there was a shortage of 'em back in my last home, but who orders lobster when they're going out for some 'grub'? I decide not to mention the likely existence of a number of seafood places on the off chance that they're scarce in the city, and instead say: "So... What's school here like?"

"'Sallright..." Is his response. Is that even a word? "A school is a school is a school, y'know?" I don't really, but somehow it's a little comforting knowing that it might be similar to my last school back in the suburbs. Silence ensues for a bit. Sora's eyes flicker from person to person, car to car, and sign to sign while he stares out the window. Anything that moves seems to get his undivided attention... as long as it's out there."I like being inside." He finally says. I swear he's just trying to keep me guessing here. I mean... I meet him in the park, his eyes are locked on everything happening outdoors, and now he says he likes being inside? Is he a walking contradiction? Does he just like everything and feels as though he has to tell me?

"Why?" I ask against my better judgment.

"Because I wish I was outside." He says, not breaking his attention from a particularly enthralling plastic bag caught in the wind. That doesn't help... Thankfully, my efforts to persist in understanding the not understandable are interrupted by the arrival of our food. I guess lobster is a safe meal for someone who never eats oriental. "So you've never been to school yet, huh?" Sora asks from his side of the table and... oh my god, he's actually not looking outside anymore. I was beginning to wonder if I was wearing some sort of suburban fashion, unbearable to the eyes of city folk.

"Nope, not yet." I respond, realizing that they didn't give us a bowl to crack the lobster over. Wait... did they shell this for us? I look back at Sora to clarify, "Well, I used to go back where I came from, but now that I've moved here, my dad's given me a few weeks to get used to the change in scenery first."

"So you've been here for less than a week, huh?" Damn his ability to put two and two together. What's this sauce they put the lobster in, anyway? He continues when I don't: "How long _have_ you been here for?"

"About an hour and a half." Might as well come out and say it. I'm a newbie, green as grass, a little city virgin. Be gentle?

"Sweet!" He says. Apparently he likes virgins, "Sounds like you got a few weeks left to your few weeks."

After we eat, my wallets about as empty as I figured it'd be. I even paid the tip, being the frickin' gentleman that I am. I mean, why not? I wouldn't have had enough for a cab either way.

"Which way did we come from?" I hope that Sora even knows as we stand on the sidewalk just outside the restaurant.

"That way." He says, looking instead of pointing, "Why? You walking home?"

"Don't have the money for a cab." I say, cursing his brilliant deduction skills.

"Why don't you take the bus? Come on, I'll pay." There's a public bus? I knew this kid would have his uses.

* * *

Riding the bus home with a potential psychopath would be more unpleasant if I weren't so grateful that I don't have to walk the distance. I was tired enough from the car ride into the city, and now that lobster had to go and settle down in just the right part of my stomach to make me want to take a nap.

"Sup, Hayner?" I hear Sora exclaim from somewhere next to me. I'm confused for just a moment until I realize that another kid about our age had joined us in the back of the bus. There are more kids about my age in this city? Who would've thought.

"Who's the kid?" The boy, apparently Hayner, decides that just because I'm sitting next to Sora, I'm with him. He also apparently decides that I'm incapable of introducing myself.

"That's Roxas." Sora agrees with Hayner's decision, "He's new around here."

"Hey! Put 'er there, Rox!" Hayner outstretches his arm. What he just said, I don't know, and was that last part supposed to be my name? He's still standing there with his hand out. He's got the same sort of psychotic glint in his brown eyes as Sora does in his blues. I know the blonde crew cut like hair and camo-shorts must say something about him... I'm just not sure what.

"Roxas." I say, feeling comfort in my name. Just shake the hand and smile.

I must've turned invisible after shaking the boys hand, because after that point, Sora and him were lost in conversation. School seems to be the topic. Nothing too interesting, but at the expense of sounding like Sora, that interests me. Maybe the public school system isn't that different than the one back home... well... my old home, anyway. Maybe I'll just slide right in and sink comfortably into my own pocket of the school-going food chain. Maybe I'll... Who's that? A man just stepped onto the bus dawning a black suit with a tie, and all the grace and sleek of one of those male models you see once in a while on TV. That's not the interesting part though. Up from the fancy wear, the guy's hair is a brushed back mess of bright red spikes, their roots framing a face bearing two reverse tear drop tattoos under each of his cool green eyes. I'm just good at observing these things, but talk about a walking contradiction. Yet these clashes work for him, and he didn't even fumble his quarters when paying for the bus. Now _he's_ interesting.

"Oh... That's Axel." Hayner answers me. Apparently I said that 'who's that' part out loud, "He's actually a teacher, but he's been frequenting the bus lately." A teacher, huh?

"What does he teach?" I do a bad job of hiding my interest.

"A bunch of stuff." Hayner continues, although he almost looks annoyed to be broken from his last conversation, "But not at our school. He teaches at Radiant Garden Private School. He'd get eaten alive for wearing that to one of our classrooms." I consider for a moment how much of a shame it'd be to lose this interesting individual to the cannibalistic nature these school people seemed to have, and then quickly make a note of the school's name in my head.

* * *

After bidding farewell to Sora and his friend, who surprisingly didn't follow me into my own home, I am reminded that I have a father.

"You've been out a while." He says, cupping his hands on his hips and smiling at me. He doesn't smile that way unless he's hoping I've forgiven him for something, "Did you decide that you might actually end up surviving this experience?" I consider for a moment.

"Yes." I say with malicious intent. I plan on using his vulnerability, "Under one condition."

"Go ahead..." My father resigns himself with a sigh.

"I get to choose what school I go to!"

"What, like a private school?" He begins to argue and then retreats from my manipulative pout, "Yeah, sure. Why not. I just want you to be happy here."

"Thanks dad!" I shoot him an appreciative thumbs up and my signature smile before fleeing to my room. I hear him say 'yeah' or something as I close the door. My new room isn't too bad, really, and hey... it has a computer. Before even unpacking my bags, I set myself up on the internet and type Radiant Garden Private School into the search bar. It's funny how a single guy can get me so excited about a school. It's random, but just like me I suppose. My excitement is suddenly stabbed to death and left at the side of the road. I guess that's a bit brutal, but I read something I don't really like as soon as I hit the school's main page. This could be a problem...


	2. Chapter Two: The Connection

**Summary:** It seems that leaving the old behind for the new is becoming a regular thing. After Roxas is forced to move out of the suburbs and into the city, forgetting about that first story house is the least of his transitions. The people of the city seem to be quite interesting, and none of them catch Roxas' interest more than Axel, a teacher at Radiant Garden Private School, but what kinds of changes will he have to make to pursue this interest...

**Pairings:** Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora, and maybe more...

**Contents:** Some strong language, boy love, alcohol, cross-dressing and all those fun things!

**Chapter Two: The Connection**

I can barely sleep on the idea of what I read on the Radiant Garden home page. Staring up at my ceiling all night eventually leads me to several things, which I cannot determine whether they are dreams, or hallucinations brought on by my distressed insomnia. First, a total recall of the day that proceeded this night, slowing down for a bit on Axel, and perhaps replaying that part a few times. It's hard to tell... I'm tired. Second, I start to see the entire webpage that has put me in my fever, lined up perfectly along my ceiling like some poetic tragedy. Man, I must be tired. First, there's the school, painting a beautiful picture as a backdrop to the words on the page. Then, the words, the links... 'Home', 'Enrollments', 'Staff'. I could just click that last link and see Axel's green eyes again. God, what am I saying? Mental note, never write anything while this tired. I continue to stare, seeing the brilliant words and their smooth curves, shouting out the name of their school: Radiant Garden! Just below, however, is where our lovely story falls into the dark pits of tragedy. Strewn across the merciless width of the entice are the words:

Women's Private School.

* * *

"An all girls school? You serious?" A boney hand runs through the blonde crew cut of the boy before me, assessing the depth of the problem. I almost can't figure out how I came to be discussing this with Hayner. I guess it all comes from getting up early in the morning and riding the bus back and forth until I recognized someone. I figured at the time that I was waiting either to see Axel again, or to see Sora, because someone that crazy can't call me out for it. Being as 'patient' as I am, however, I leapt up to the chance to tell someone I barely know that I wanted to find a way to get into a school meant solely for the other gender. Heck, as I figure it, barely is better than not at all, but not so good as to worry about freackin' 'em out too much. "Okay," Hayner continues after a moment, "I'm not sure about you. You could either get caught by trying this and be the city's laughing stock, or you could not get caught and be the most frickin' brilliant dude in all of everywhere, surrounded by chicks in your own utopia." He pauses for another long moment and finally continues, "Except you want to not get caught enrolling yourself into an all girls institute for the sole purpose of getting closer to some _guy_?" I give him a long stare. He either just ran out of batteries and got frozen with his mouth open, or he expects me to answer.

"Sounds about right," I tell him, testing the second option, "Can you suggest a good therapist?"

"No, don't confuse me anymore." He flails his arms like an electrified chicken. In quite the opposite manner, he then regains composure and presses a thumb to his forehead. "Okay... to save myself from trying to figure this out, and for the crazy idea that this may be interesting... I'm gonna help you." He places an uncomfortable hand on my shoulder, but I can't complain much since he didn't punch me to the ground or run away screaming.

* * *

My usual game with myself starts up as soon as Hayner begins leading me down street after street. That game being, of course, hopelessly trying to figure out where I'm being lead to in a city I've just been acquainted to. I've always loved my hindsight at times like this. Like, why did we get off the bus if we still had some distance to travel? And even more, why am I traveling down unfamiliar streets with a guy I had just yesterday deemed to be a psycho? Oh well. It's too late now. Guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he might just be _friends_ with a psycho. Sora has already destroyed that benefit. I think he might have fed it to that pigeon in the park, or maybe he encased it in cement and threw it off that bridge.

All the guessing in the world couldn't have brought me to the conclusion that Hayner is leading me to a bar. I read the sign, 'Seventh Heaven', as we approach the door. My stomach drops as Hayner simply strolls past the bouncer and throws the door open like he owns the place. The guy gives me a glance that freezes me until Hayner summons me through. What the heck is this? Did I just get myself caught up with the leader of the kid mafia or something? The bartender, a girl with long black hair, a tight white top and a leather miniskirt, looks up from a glass she was cleaning and gives Hayner an acknowledging smile. My smile comes from a little girl kicking her feet off of her counter seat right next to the alcohol. I guess it's kiddy day at the pub today. Hayner takes a seat at the counter, and I play follow the leader and join him.

"Hey," The bartender says coolly, "Hayner, how goes it?"

"I've got something on my mind..." The brown eyed boy begins, resting his head in his hand.

"And you want to burn the brain cells out?" She puts down the clean glass and turns to finger through her choices of alcohol, "Who's your boyfriend?" Wait, what?

"I don't date blondes," Hayner shrugs off the comment quicker than I do, "And I actually need to talk about what's on my mind this time."

"Oh I see," She spins back around and leans down on the counter in front of him. And boy does she have big... muscles... for a girl I mean. "I'm all ears then."

"Well I need some help with cross-dressing..." He says and I flinch at the word, but surprisingly she doesn't. Are all city people just crazy enough to understand each other? She simply gives him a long stare and then stands, putting one finger to her chin.

"Right." She nods, "Well do you want to go all pink and giggles, or run with a sort of GI Jane look?"

"Not for me!" Hayner sputters, still looking like this whole dilemma is beyond him. "It's for my new friend here. Roxas, this is Tifa. Tifa, Roxas." He gestures back and forth as though to speed up the acquaintance.

"So you're not wearing the pants I take it?" Tifa directs her attention to me for the first time.

"Does it look like he is?" Hayner laughs, "He's been silent and fidgeting this whole time!" And no I haven't been 'fidgeting'...

"We're not together." I clarify, afraid that Hayner never would, "I'm trying to get into this school..."

"Fraternity challenge?" She glances between us.

"Gender requirement." Hayner half giggles, half chokes at the concept.

"A girl's school!?"

"Yeah, it's a girl's school." I clarify once again, feeling more and more uncomfortable. Tifa fixes that with her next few words though.

"Sounds interesting. I'm in."

"Sweet!" Hayner says, looking about as relieved as I am. "When do we start?"

"Well, I imagine enrollment ends soon in the private schools, so we'll start ASAP." She clasps her hands on her hips and then turns back to the alcohol, "I just need to make a quick phone call. You two have a drink, and relax for a few, 'kay?" She plants a couple beers down on the counter and briskly steps into the back.

Needless to say, my mind needs to catch up just a little. This seems a little too easy and a little too strange. I mean, I've traveled to a bar with a kid I barely know, I've met up with his 'connection', and here I am waiting for the two of them to come up with some sort of a plan to get me into an all girls school! And... what the heck is with that little girl sitting on the counter. She's still smiling at me, and now she's taken up the chore of cleaning one of the mugs the bartender neglected for Hayner. There are so many things wrong with the image of this little girl wiping a beer glass, I don't even know where to start.

"So..." Hayner says after a moment, taking a slow sip of his beer. I haven't touched mine, still uncertain about this whole situation, "You do realize how bent you are, right?"

"Yeah." Simple answer, half because I think it will move this along faster, and half because I feel like my mind is floating around in space.

"Okay, good." He decides, resting his mug back down on the counter, "At least I know your thinking straight... well, not _straight_, but you're competent. Had to know your head was in the right place, you know?"

"Thanks, I guess." I say, discretely returning my mind from space before he can take notice.

"And I think that if you can think how _you're_ thinking and still have your head in the right place, you're not half bad." He's obviously talking to avoid an awkward silence at this point. Either that or to reassure himself that _I'm_ not the psycho.

"Thanks for helping me out." I say, pushing my beer slightly with the tip of my finger.

"No problem." I should've known that my attempt at helping him keep away the silence would fail. I mean, what else can someone say to 'thanks'? To make matters worse, my mind wanders to a word Hayner said a moment ago. Bent. That's an interesting idea. Do I like guys? I stayed up half the night thinking about Axel if that counts. Sure, let's go with bent for now. I'm bent. Tifa emerges from the back just moments later, throwing on a leather jacket with a happy smile on her face.

"Ready boys?" She says, stepping out from behind the counter.

"Boys?" I repeat, though not meaning to say it aloud.

"'Course I'm coming!" Hayner grins, "I helped you out, now I gotta see this thing through 'til the end." I suppose I can deal with that, but I'll have to lay some rules down later I think.

"But..." I admit I'm a bit overwhelmed by the speed at which this is going, "What about the bar?"

"Marlene will take care of it while we're gone." I nearly pass out when she shoots a smile to the little girl on the counter, receiving a thumbs up in return. Maybe the girl's a vampire or something, and she's three times as old as she looks. Yeah, that's it. She's a vampire.

* * *

It seems amazing to me that, for the number of cars on the road, I have yet to have had a chance to be driven anywhere. I consider this as the bartender, Tifa, takes the lead, guiding us back down a few streets that Hayner had taken me through, and onto a few new ones. The whole idea seems very different from back home. The streets were always very free, yet we seemed to drive everywhere. I mean, we had a car so why not? I guess the gas is probably cheaper back home. Maybe that's it. That, or this may be the sort of 'no one drives because there are too many cars on the road' mentality. Either way, my legs are gonna be killing me later on. Especially at the pace our escort is walking. She's either very fit, very excited to be cross-dressing a kid, or both.

"Alright," Hayner huffs out between breathes, doing his best to keep up with Tifa's strides, "Now that I know your brain's working, I need to get a few things straight with you..."

"Go ahead," I allow him, happy to lay a few things down myself.

"Alright," He says again, mentally organizing what he's about to say, "You know this whole 'getting into an all girls' school' thing is illegal... right?" I stare for a moment before responding.

"You know the whole 'drinking as a minor' thing is illegal... right?" Is my response. While facing his blank stare I foster the hope that drinking actually _is_ illegal before twenty-one in the city too.

"Yeah..." He admits at last, "Don't throw me for loops man."

"Yes, I know it's illegal."

"Okay, good." He grins, "Then that makes us partners in crime, so if this thing doesn't do a belly flop first thing, you gotta keep me informed." Sometimes it's difficult to understand this guy, but I'm assuming 'doing a belly flop' is psycho speak for failing.

"Okay," I start, leaving him quite ready for me to make a condition, "But you have to promise to keep this between us, okay?" His face twists.

"Alrighty, man!" He nods after some thought, "You got yourself a deal, but when the time comes that you feel a little more open about your feminine side, you let me know, 'kay? I'm gonna be dieing a little every day that I have to keep this to myself."

"Don't hold your breath." I say not quite loud enough to ensure that he hears me. Our pace seems to have slowed a bit now; a judgment I make as I watch to be sure I don't walk into Tifa's shoes. I look up from my feet to see that we're standing in the middle of another district that looks like the one Sora brought me to for lunch, only this one has more stores. Tifa plants her hands onto her convenient hips and scopes out the area.

"Now," her pause is long enough that I begin to think that that's all she has to say, "Where is she?"

A call is heard from across the street, a girly voice yelling: "Hey! Hey!" I turn my attention to the source of the sound. It's quite obviously coming from a funny looking girl hopping up and down and waving her arm to draw our attention. The girl is standing rather close to a number of other individuals who look less than impressed with her sudden bout of yelling, and I begin to wonder exactly how many people Tifa made a call to. Upon closer inspection, I find that the other people are simply innocent bystanders. Standing in line. For ice cream in fact!

"Aerith!" Tifa spreads her arms so far open as she approaches the girl, that it looks as though she's inviting the entire line into a group hug. Her arms shut tight around the girl, and they embrace for a moment or two before she takes a step back and turns to us. "This is Aerith." The girl is even more funny to look at up close, but the more I examine, the more compelling she is. Her hair is wound into a very long, brown braid behind her head, and topped with a pretty red bow. Although her dress is very pink, the red of the bow seems to mix with her green eyes to make me think of Christmas. That, and she's dawning some pretty odd brown boots to be wearing with this ensemble. Kinda like she was planning for it to snow today, or to do some nice gardening perhaps. The rest of the dress argued with either of these ideas. Another walking contradiction, as well as a shiny new person to add to my list of city acquaintances.

"Yo!" Hayner gracefully breaks my train of thought, "I'm Hayner! This is Rox."

"Roxas." I correct him, following his gesture in my direction. The girl, Aerith, smiles and clasps her hands behind her back, leaning in to take a look at the both of us. Although honestly I think we're tall enough to be spared of any leaning.

"Which one's the girlfriend?" She asks, unfortunately serious. I'm too distracted by Hayner's quick 'oh no you didn't' glare at Tifa to think about the implications of raising my hand, and Aerith's attention locks on me. "You, hmmm? Oh, he looks like a mini Cloud!" She giggles, directing her comment at Tifa. And how exactly do I look like a cloud? I guess I haven't checked the condition of my hair since I got up this morning...

"Hey, ma'am?" A voice cracks from behind the ice cream counter, "You're next."

"Oh!" Aerith jumps a little and turns to start her order. The others in line look agitated at the least. Probably both because three new people joined the person in front of them, and because those three people distracted her into having about four feet of free line space between her and their snack. "Four Sea-Salt Slushies, please." After a moment of waiting, and the whizzing sounds of ice and chemicals, Aerith turns around and presents us with a vibrant blue icy drink, and a smile that says 'it's on me'.

No more words are exchanged until we have found a nice little outdoor table with an umbrella to sit underneath. I follow the leader and make myself comfortable. Still in silence, I glance down at my drink which seems to growl at me with a sort of threat to freeze my brain at the slightest taste. A slurping sound indicates that Aerith has braved the icy danger first, and it seems to have broken the silence enough for Tifa to explain the situation.

"So it's an all girl's school." She says simply and Aerith nods.

"You told me." Another slurp from her drink, and heck, she hasn't died yet so I take a sip from mine too. "But you know there's a big difference between cross-dressing a kid for school and what I did with Cloud." This taste is interesting. Sweet, but a little too salty for a drink. Maybe it's a gimmick to make you thirsty for more, or maybe it's just the chemicals. Wait, did she just say Cloud again? Is it a name, maybe?

"Oh, I know." Tifa laughs, most likely at a memory she has, "But I thought you'd like to come for the ride."

"Oh I do," Aerith responds, wide eyed. Those eyes actually remind me of Axel a bit. Still different though. Not as solid. "But I just don't really know what kids are wearing in school right now." She seems ashamed to admit that.

"I think I could help." Hayner pipes up for the first time in ages, "Well... not me, but I know someone who could." His attention turns my way, and it scares me more than it should, "What'd'ya say? Willing to let one more person in on your little escapade?" I frown a bit, but honestly it can't hurt me much since I know next to no one in the city.

"Sure." I agree, "As long as they can keep quiet."

"You got it, pal. I'll be back in a jiffy!" Grabbing his slushy, Hayner darts of, combat boots clunking as he goes.

I wonder what I've gotten myself into now...


	3. Chapter 2,5 Sora: A Warm Breeze

**Summary:** It seems that leaving the old behind for the new is becoming a regular thing. After Roxas is forced to move out of the suburbs and into the city, forgetting about that first story house is the least of his transitions. The people of the city seem to be quite interesting, and none of them catch Roxas' interest more than Axel, a teacher at Radiant Garden Private School, but what kinds of changes will he have to make to pursue this interest...

**Pairings:** Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora, and maybe more...

**Contents:** Some strong language, boy love, alcohol, cross-dressing and all those fun things!

**A Heart For My Nobody says: **Welcome to the first of many short Sora inserts in this fiction. They won't be counted as full chapters themselves, but they give you a look at what's going on outside Roxas' life, and through the eyes of someone rather... different.

**Chapter 2.5 Sora: A Warm Breeze**

It was another one of those mornings. I got up and brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, packed my bag, and it wasn't until I was just about ready to go to school that my shoes decided to let me know that it's Sunday. They only ever fit right during school days. Other times they're too tight or too loose. I guess that's plenty fair of them though, since school time is the most important time to fit. I wouldn't want them to kick off in the halls or during gym. As I figure it, school time is the time when people care about how they look the most. So I allow them this, and in return they let me know when I've had too many Sundays or too few in a weekend. The unfortunate thing about shoes is that you kind of have to put them on last. I tried, for a while, putting on my shoes first thing in the morning, but that meant I had to sleep in my school clothes instead of PJs, which might have been okay except that my school clothes would wrinkle overnight, and I don't see the point in brushing my hair if my clothes are wrinkled. One day, I tried going to school without brushing my hair and wearing wrinkled clothes, but I guess it doesn't matter if you're matching unless it looks good. One person said I looked like I fell out of a dumpster, and someone else called me a raisin. I don't really like raisins, so after that, I always brush my hair on school days and put my shoes on last. Which brings me back to the point: that this was one of those mornings that wasn't one of those mornings, and I haven't a clue how to pass the time.

Halfway into the afternoon, I think about calling one of my friends, but it's far too breezy outside, I think. If they happen to be out there, I'll hear the wind on the other end and consider that _I_ should be out there too. If they aren't, the wind will simply come to my window and pester me from there. You see, the thing about breezes is that they're very nice only if you do what they want you to do. A cool breeze will mind its business while you're inside, but chill you and steal your money if you're outside. A warm breeze feels nice outside, and will beckon you out if you're inside, and that's the kind of breeze that's out there now. Problem is, if I go outside I'll have just as little clue about which or what way I'll go, and I'll be short a recliner chair. The recliner chair, by the way, is not being too agreeable either. After wrestling with it enough and facing a number of protests against reclining, I've decided that the best way to stay comfortable is to sit upside down and prop my feet up on the headrest. Not too long after my head becomes uncomfortable with the position, I hear a knock at the door. Hoping I'm not just to greet the warm breeze, I slip off of the chair and make for the door. The chair reclines in my absence.

It actually isn't the wind that knocked on my door, it's Kairi. She steps inside wearing one of those bags that doesn't know whether it's a backpack or a purse. She usually wears that on school days too. Maybe she also forgot that it's Sunday. She has her hair up in a ponytail today. Her hair is nice and red, and she usually has it down on her shoulders, but she must have considered the wind today too. She always compliments me on how the wind never seems to bother my hair.

"Hey hey." She greats me and starts to let her hair down. This is always how she says hi, and it's pretty funny to listen to when she's not really energetic about it. She passes by the living room and walks into the kitchen. I can tell without even looking because I hear the soft sounds of the entry hall rug become the clicks of the kitchen floor. Kairi never makes more than clicks when walking, even on a day like this where she decides to wear normal shoes instead of high-heals. I see Kairi right where I expect to see her when I walk into the kitchen. She's always liked the wooden table I have in there, and that's usually where we have most of our conversations. I sit down on the other side of the table and watch as she drops her sky-blue bag, removes a sky-blue brush and begins to brush out her hair. Kairi has a big thing about matching. She always seems to wear and use things that are either all pink and red to match her hair, or all blue and white to match her eyes. I like the blue ones 'cause they match my eyes too, only mine are a little bit darker.

"It's kind of crazy, huh?" I say and she continues to brush her hair, pointing only here eyes at me, "I mean, that today is Sunday."

"I know, right?" She always talks louder than she has to, but it doesn't really bother me, "What happened to the weekend already?"

"I haven't really noticed anything happen to the weekend, except for maybe having a few extra days."

"Really? What is it with you and school, huh?" She giggles and then winces as her hair gets caught in the brush, "Ow. Well I guess I know what happened to mine. My mom and me had a girl's day cruise yesterday. I wanted to work on my tan a little, you know?" I've given up on trying to figure out what day is girl's day, since it seems to happen a lot and never on the same days.

"I should go with you some time." That wouldn't be a bad way to pass the weekend, "Work on my tan?"

"Sora!" She laughs, and she always says my name like that when I've done something wrong, "I think you're missing the point of _girl's_ day."

"Well we can have a boy's day some time!" I say, crossing my arms at being left out, "And you can come and take me on one of those boats." She shuts her eyes and giggles again, but she's interrupted by another knock on the door. Since Kairi's usually the only person who comes over my house at this time, I get myself ready to tell the wind; oh, I'm very sorry but I have company right now... maybe you can check back later? Once again, it's not the wind.

"Hey, pal!" Hayner's leaning on my door frame, grinning like he just got invited to girl's day, "Is Kairi here?"

"Yeah," I point back, noting that I'm not the only one who's noticed that she comes here a lot.

"I knew it!" His grin somehow widens more, "Hey Kai! I need you for something. Wanna come with?"

"Should I be afraid?" She laughs, packing up her bag and stepping out anyway.

"Naw," he waves his hand back and forth, "You'll enjoy this."

"Well, bye Sora!" She waves her fingers at me, "Maybe I'll come over when I'm done, 'kay 'kay?"

"You should!" I wave back at her, wishing she could have stayed a little longer. Now I'm just left to myself and my stubborn recliner chair...

"Oh!" Kairi spins around and walks back over to me, "I almost forgot! I was on the boat yesterday, and all of a sudden this paper just falls down on my lap." She hands me a paper and... is that what I think it is? "It has your name on it, so I figured you might have lost it. Small world, huh?" With that, see runs off again, leaving the cursed homework in my hands.

I knew I should have used cement...


	4. Chapter Three: The Transformation Begins

**Summary:** It seems that leaving the old behind for the new is becoming a regular thing. After Roxas is forced to move out of the suburbs and into the city, forgetting about that first story house is the least of his transitions. The people of the city seem to be quite interesting, and none of them catch Roxas' interest more than Axel, a teacher at Radiant Garden Private School, but what kinds of changes will he have to make to pursue this interest...

**Pairings:** Axel/Roxas, Riku/Sora, and maybe more...

**Contents:** Some strong language, boy love, alcohol, cross-dressing and all those fun things!

**A Heart For My Nobody says: **Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, loyal fans. Don't they say that withholding makes a story great? They don't say that... I swear it wasn't on purpose, anyway! I've been very, very busy... but that's not important! On to the story! It's starting to get more interesting. I hope you all enjoy:

**Chapter Three: The Transformation Begins**

* * *

The 'one who can help' that Hayner returns with is not what I expected, but exactly what I _should_ have expected. It turns out to be another girl, not an adult like these other two, but a school girl. Another kid around my age to add to my list. She's dressed pretty, hair freshly brushed, color coordinated skirt and eyes, subtle makeup, and all of this on a weekend. She strikes me to be the sort of girl that _starts_ fashion trends as opposed to following them. She also, however, strikes me as the sort of girl that stands as the central radio tower for incoming and outgoing rumors, and I find myself questioning Hayner's guarantee that she knows how to keep a secret. Mr. Questionable must have also told her the situation, or some variant of it, as her eyes turn to me right off the bat. I can't really tell whether that look she's giving me is judgmental or just concentrated, but I return it with a friendly, albeit awkward, wave.

"Alrighty, guys," Hayner crosses his arms with a look of accomplishment, "Here's your expert."

"Hey hey." She waves her arm in a wide ark to greet everyone. After a pause and a few greeting gestures from Tifa and Aerith, she straightens herself out and says, "I'm Kairi." A lot of people seem to have unusual names around here, but I suppose that mine isn't exactly normal either. She focuses back on me, "So you're the guy?"

"Well," I consider this for a moment. Let's see... witty response about cross-dressing, joking that I'm already a girl, or giving into awkwardness and being unable to poke fun at myself. Tough choices. "Well I suppose that depends on what Hayner told you, but yeah, I think so."

"Hey, Kai?" Hayner approaches the table where we're sitting, "You'll be working with Tifa and Aerith here. We can't get caught, so this has to be perfect."

"We?" Kairi giggles, "Ok then." She looks to me with an appraising eye, "What are you doing with your hair?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, not aware that I'm doing _anything_ with my hair. My mind still hasn't caught up to this cross-dressing business.

"Well you can't leave it like that." She starts to approach me in a slow manner. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head, "Are you gonna color it? Style it? Grow it out? Buy extensions? Get a wig?" Amidst her questions, she begins to paw at my hair, flattening some of it out here, tucking some behind my ear there. Honestly, I don't often tend to have people's fingers running around on my head. I hear hushed laughter coming from Tifa and her friend, and I just hope that I'm not turning pink.

"Well I-" I begin and Hayner is quick to interrupt.

"He's clueless! That's why we have you guys."

"Then why are _you_ here?" Kairi asks, teasingly.

"You kidding?" He looks astounded, "I'm the glue keeping this all together; the mastermind, you know?" Man this guy is self high.

"Okay," Tifa stands up from the table, having finished her slushy, "Then we treat him like an oversized doll and dress him up the best we can, right?" She glances at me for approval. I give her a nod, but I get this strange feeling that this will be the last matter I get an opinion on.

"Right," Aerith pushes herself up from the table, and being the last one sitting, I stand as well, "Time to go shopping." I feel as though I should be hearing lightning and maniacal laughter. Gotta keep telling myself: this is all for my sake.

* * *

It's at times like this where you accept stereotypes as facts, and thank them for warning you. The very first shop that the girls, and self-proclaimed mastermind, take me into is as pink and sparkly as can be. It was Kairi's choice to come in here first, and I almost feel inclined to remind her that I'm playing a school girl, not a princess. At least some of the clothes look normal enough... y'know... for a girl. Kairi wastes no time in going straight to the store clerk, a young woman probably working her way through college. They start talking, and after a moment, Kairi turns back around to face us. I haven't gotten any weird looks from the clerk, so I assume that Kairi hasn't told her that we're here to dress me yet.

"What's your size?" The questions obviously directed at me, but _size_? I don't know the answer to that! Oh well, here goes nothing. Time to get those weird looks.

"Probably a large?" I say, unsure of myself. Kairi just gives me a long stare.

"We'll just get you measured." She says at last, "We can do that, right?" She glances over her shoulder at the clerk who takes a moment to break from her confusion.

"Oh yes, of course!" She says and thumbs through her drawer for a measuring tape. She signals for me to come over, so I do, and she begins to take measurements of various places on my body. "I've never done _this_ before," she laughs, "Is this for a play?"

"Yeah," I say before either Hayner or Kairi could fully open their mouth, "Yeah, I always get cast as the girl." It feels pretty sad to be saying this, never mind pretending to be in the drama club, just to cover up the truth. A few measurements and uncomfortable moments later, the clerk gives me a smile and says:

"Groovy. Let's get you a dress then!"

One would think, by the way that Kairi is racing from garment to garment, that this is a shopping spree all for her. Tifa and Aerith aren't being much better. I'm facing a constant onslaught of dresses and coats and shirts held up in front of me. Is it really all that exciting to be dressing a guy as a girl? Trying to ignore the mirrors around the store, I hope that the result of the cross-dressing will be pretty good, because I don't want to be able to recognize myself in a dress. Meanwhile, Hayner's making it clear that the point of him coming along is to make snorting and chuckling noises while he watches.

It's actually kind of impressive, once I get used to it, to watch the ladies put together outfits. However, by the time that they're done, what seems like a million pairs of clothes is whittled down into two outfits, both of them being dresses.

"Just two?" I question them, getting some space from the clerk, "And don't girls ever wear pants?"

"First off," Kairi starts, "Yes, just two! You can't have all your clothes coming from the same place. People will notice." I don't understand what's wrong with that, but I let her continue, "Secondly, no. Girls don't wear pants at that school, unless they don't care what anyone thinks of them."

"But I don't really c " I start.

"And they want to stick out." She plants her hands on her hips.

"Dresses it is!" Aerith laughs. I resign myself and decide to agree with them.

"What school do you go to?" The clerk asks, obviously having overheard. Kairi places the outfits on the counter to be rung up.

"Uh, it's a private school," I tell her, trying to sound normal, "In the play."

"Hmm," She places the garments in a bag bearing the stores logo, "Okay, that'll be one hundred and nine, nineteen." Everyone turns to face me and I freeze. Oh, right! Money... forgot about that. Seeing my dilemma, Tifa rolls her eyes and laughs, approaching the counter.

"I've got it." She says, handing the girl her credit card.

"A-are you sure!" I say, quite taken aback, "That's a lot of money."

"You'll just owe me." She grins, "Maybe I'll have you do some work at the bar." She gets one final weird look from the clerk along with her receipt, and we're out of the store.

"Alright!" Kairi starts up once we begin to travel down the street, "We need to hit a few more places for dresses, but we're gonna get short on time." She turns around and walks backwards, facing us as she talks, "So I propose this; we split up!"

"How does that make sense?" I mean, unless one group is gonna take my feminine side and the other will distract the male from these atrocities.

"Well, we know your sizes already," She continues, "So I say that me and Tifa continue to search for cute dresses, and Aerith takes you to do something very important." Very important?

"Very important?" Aerith questions, I'm afraid to know the answer myself. Unfortunately, not knowing is worse, and Kairi whispers the answer to Aerith. Even more unfortunately, Aerith laughs at what she said, and then Aerith whispers to Tifa, and _she_ laughs. I'm beginning to hate my impulsive ways. At least Hayner looks equally annoyed at how much he's being left out.

"So who am _I_ going with?" He crosses his arms in frustration.

"Oh, I guess you're tagging along with us." Kairi responds unenthusiastically, "Unless you want to join in Roxas' fun?"

"Stop keeping me out of the loop!" He runs up to her, offering an ear to whisper in, "I made you guys! I can destroy you!" Kairi rolls her eyes with a smirk and whispers in Hayner's ear. The following reaction is a mixture of spitting, snorting, furious laughter and gasps for breath, "Have fun, buddy!" He continues to laugh. Yeah... I hate my impulsive ways.

* * *

As I walk with Aerith, I grow more and more wary of where she's taking me. This isn't helped by the conspiratorial smile stretched across her face the entire walk. I finally turn my head to her, instead of just keeping her in my peripheral vision, and I ask her.

"Okay you can tell me where we're going now," I say, trying to make it sound like that was her plan all along, "Unless Hayner's got me bugged, I don't think they'll hear us."

"It's a surprise." Aerith says, putting one finger up in the air.

"I don't like surprises..." I _don't_.

"Well you'll get to see soon." She takes me into a building, and I don't have the foresight to look for a name outside. A short ways in, I see that we're in a white lobby being watched by a lady behind a desk. There still doesn't seem to be any indication as to what kind of place this is. Aerith turns around and puts a hand to my chest, "Stay." Reluctantly, I oblige. She proceeds to approached the lady and have a hushed conversation with her. All I can catch is the lady asking if we have an appointment. What kind of appointment! This better not be some kind of operation, because I'm not willing to go _that_ far.

Aerith walks back to me, all smiles and says:

"We have a fifteen minute wait." And that's all she says. Not just then either. I must ask her four or five times about what we're waiting for, getting nothing but silence and smiles, before I decide to just fold my arms and wait. I wonder if my dad's wondering where I am right now. Come to think of it, I didn't even tell him that I was going out this morning. Oh well. I'll just get chewed out when I get back home. It's not like he can be too harsh on me right now anyway, since he's afraid I might go back to hating the place we moved to.

Despite the waiting, the fifteen minutes only feels like fifteen minutes, and then we're up and following the lady down some white halls to some room. The walls we're passing have a few brightly color paintings on them, but still nothing that I can use to figure out where we are exactly. The lady brings us to a room and beckons us to go inside. Apparently she's not coming. We go inside, and we're greeted by a dark man with a small groomed mustached and glasses. He looks like a doctor, but he's not dressed like one.

"Hello," He says, plainly, "I'm Martin Tansley. I'll be working with you today." He offers us a handshake. No doctor prefix. I _think_ that's a good sign, "I'll have to ask you to wait outside, however." He looks to me. I go to leave, but I freeze as Aerith says:

"Oh! No, no. This is for him." Oh great... I guess I'm not surprised that he thought whatever this is was for a girl.

"Oh, I see." He considers, "So what is it that we're doing today?" Yeah, what is it that we're doing today?

"A full body wax." Aerith lets the words roll off her tongue and I feel myself turn white.

"F-full body!" I sputter. Aerith slowly turns her head to look at me on her way out the door.

"Yep." She cheeps, like some kind of satanic hell bird.

"E-everything...?"

_Everything_.

* * *

To describe the experience of a full body wax for a guy is to describe the pain of a thousand needles. During the experience, I can't tell what pain is physical and what is mental. Am I really having this done? I'll never be able to let my father see my legs, EVER again. It could be worse, I try to tell myself. I could be one of those people who likes to flop around in shorts all the time. I could be a big swimmer, but then I suppose I'd at least have an excuse.

I leave the shattered bits of my dignity behind for Mr. Tansley as I leave the building with Aerith, staring blankly at nothing. The breeze is just a little bit cooler now.

"I feel... changed." I finally say, and she laughs.

"Oh yeah?"

"I hope you're happy." I glare as she giggles, "I'll probably have post traumatic stress from this."

"Oh, come now." She puts a hand on my shoulder, and I'll never admit that it makes me feel a little better, "Did you really plan on being the girl with hairy legs?"

"It wasn't just my legs." I hiss.

"Trust me. It'll help." I suppose it probably will, but I'm starting to get worried that I'll create an identity crisis for myself.

When we meet at the rendezvous point, Tifa, Kairi and Hayner are already waiting there, all of them looking like those rich girls you see on TV, arms full of shopping bags covered in various logos. Hayner's got a nice long grin spread across his face that sort of makes you want to hit him.

"How was it?" Hayner asks through his teeth with a great deal of mocking.

"Oh, peachy." I respond. I mean, wouldn't you like to have an unfamiliar man pull the hair out of every inch on your body? At least my head's in tact...

"We've picked out some nice clothes for you!" Kairi hops forward, giving Hayner a well deserved smack across the shoulder, "I'm actually kinda jealous."

"I'll look at them later." I say, stopping Kairi from digging through the bags.

"Ooh..." Her face puffs up, "We're gonna have to work on that charm a bit, young lady."

"So, our last issue is the hair, then?" Tifa questions.

"We already did that..." I continue to scowl, missing her point.

"Not that," She gives me a frown, "I mean your _hair_. What are we doing; wig, extensions...?"

"Haven't really thought about it..." I answer, lamely.

"Oh boy," Aerith shakes her head, "No wonder Hayner was your mastermind."

"What's that supposed to mean!" the mastermind protests.

"Anyway," Aerith continues, ignoring Hayner's shaking fist, "I vote for extensions, and to style your hair differently." What's wrong with my hair style? Well... not girly enough I suppose. Can't get offended over that.

"Extensions would be convenient..." Tifa considers, "They're cheaper, _and_ if you ever get sick of them, you can say you got a haircut."

"Sounds good." I say promptly, thinking it best that I start making my own decisions. That seems to put everyone in agreement, and we start heading for the wig store on Kairi's note:

"We have to hurry up before they close!"

It may be the fact that they were about to close, or it could just be that simple, but either way, getting hair extensions turns out to be the easiest thing I've done all day. There is no excessive shopping, we find the perfect extensions almost immediately, and I don't even get any strange looks from the cashier, weird as that may be. We walk out of the store, and it just hits me that that was the last place we had to go. In the arms of the various people standing around me, many shopping bags were held, and in those bags were the instruments necessary to call forward a glossy, dressy, pretty, girly persona from the giddy depths of my feminine side. Weird what the city will do to you, huh? It's already been such an adventure, and sure it's been pretty amusing and fun, save the waxing, but as I consider what I'm getting myself into, only one thought runs through my mind.

This Axel guy had better be pretty frick'in special.

* * *

As night falls, my new friends head off in their own directions, and it actually ends up being Tifa who walks me home. I wonder what Tifa must have owed Hayner, anyway? I mean, she left her bar all day, in the hands of a little girl no less, to go shopping for me, and she paid for everything we bought. She's either really nice, or really loaded.

"Hey," I turn to her before making my way across the street to my house, "Thanks for everything today."

"Oh, no problem. I said you'd be working it off eventually, anyway." She gives me a wink that promises me she's not kidding, "You free tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah." I'm technically still on my _two weeks of no school_ privileges, so I figure I'll be free for a while.

"Okay, then. Come by my house tomorrow and we'll see how pretty we can make you." I consider for a second that she never told me where her house is, "You've been there." She verifies, and that was my _other_ thought. She lives in the bar... interesting. Before my thoughts stop distracting me, Tifa is gone with the wind, and I'm left alone on the street. I turn to my house, still in thought, and decide that now would be a good time to go to sleep. It's still relatively early, but I figure I might as well wake up at a reasonable hour tomorrow.

And, hey... I _do_ need my beauty sleep after all.


End file.
